About Holywell School.
Holywell School is a caring, distinctively Christian, community-focussed Church of England School. Holywell is a 9-13 Middle School with 720 students in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. We aim to continue the historic tradition of Church of England Schools by providing a Christian Values-inspired education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. As a school, we are a loving, supportive community with high aspirations for all. We promote inclusion, we are welcoming of all faiths (and people of no faith), we are proud to belong and we value each individual. We look after each other, believe in second chances and aim to be the best we can be so we can serve and support the common good.
Our Head Teacher.
Mr Michael G
Simpson
I am very proud and privileged to be the headteacher of this amazing school. Since joining the school in September 2017, I have been impressed by the wonderful students whose enthusiasm for learning is only equalled by their care and consideration for each other. They are polite, industrious, aspirational young people who constantly surprise and delight us with their ideas, creativity and achievements. The staff are superb professionals who create exciting, challenging and inspiring learning experiences to enable students to achieve high standards. This is all delivered within a framework of clear and high expectations. We are consistent, insistent and persistent in our endeavour to secure outstanding standards of behaviour, service, care, appearance and courtesy for all. We also have lots of fun! We are a happy school where everyone has the right to feel safe at all times. We deal with disagreements and issues in a solution-focussed, systematic, supportive and peaceful way, treating others as we wish to be treated.
But don't just take my word for it! Here are some recent student comments from focus groups and reflections:
• Holywell is very welcoming; everyone feels happy when they’re here and safe. Anyone can learn just as well as anyone else. (Yr 8)
• Holywell is a really happy place. It’s a safe place for students to come. (Yr 8)
• The teachers are so kind (Yr 5)
• Holywell is very welcoming – they took me in with open arms. My experience has been amazing so far (Year 5)
• Holywell is a great place to be (Year 5)
The Lead Inspector in our last Ofsted inspection had this to say: "Pupils are well behaved and have very positive attitudes to learning. They are proud of their school and they are excellent ambassadors both in and out of the classroom. They value the high quality of teaching, from which they benefit, and they welcome the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities available to them." (Ofsted - March 2018)
We aspire to living our values, being the best we can possibly be and to making a positive difference to our community and beyond. We hope that you will join us on our exciting journey.
School History.
Foundation.
Holywell School was built in stages and opened on 1st September, 1973 as a Church of England Middle School in the Diocese of St Albans. Church of England Schools have a long, historic tradition and were originally set up to provide education for the poor of the parish. Holywell serves the parishes of Cranfield and Wootton and has representatives from the Parochial Church Councils of Cranfield and Wootton on the Governing Body of the school. The first Headteacher was Mr Morgan.
The school was named after the actual Holy Well – a sacred spring – which is to be found in Marston Thrift. Marston Thrift is a magnificent 140 acre wood on the West Bedfordshire Ridge below the village of Cranfield.
Academy.
In 2012 the school became an Academy. As an Academy, Holywell School is an independent, state-funded school. We receive our funding directly from central government, rather than through a local authority – although we do work collaboratively with both Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council. The day-to-day running of the school is with the head teacher, and our work is overseen by our Governing Body. We control our own admissions process and have more freedom than other schools to innovate.
Holywell School is a registered charity and has representatives from the Diocese of St Albans, the Parochial Church Council of Cranfield and the Parochial Church Council of Wootton as Directors.
School Expansion.
As the villages of Cranfield and Wootton continue to expand, so too does Holywell School. The first stage of expansion took place in the Summer of 2014 with the creation of a new library and school hall, together with a meeting room for parent visits. A new three-classroom block was also created and, at the same time, a series of internal walls were taken down to create a new music facility – doubling the size of the main teaching area and creating two new music practice rooms. The school hall and new blocks were named after long-serving members of staff: Bev Yates, Stuart Macfarlan and Dave Hall. A Prayer Garden was also created for student reflection and is designed in the shape of the school crest.
The second phase of expansion was completed in 2019 with the opening of a 6-classroom teaching block, a Sports Hall, an expanded reception and administration facilities and a multi-use Science/Technology room.
The Holywell Ethos.
We define 'Ethos' as:
The way things are! The 'feel' of the place.
Holywell School is a caring, distinctively Christian, community-focussed Church of England School. We aim to continue the historic tradition of Church of England Schools by providing a Christian Values-inspired education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. As a school, we are a loving, supportive community with high aspirations for all. We promote inclusion, we are proud to belong and we value each individual. We look after each other, believe in second chances and aim to be the best we can be so we can serve and support the common good.
Staff.